discarded; discarding; discards
1
: to get rid of especially as useless or unwanted
a pile of discarded tires
They quickly discarded the idea.
2
a
: to remove (a playing card) from one's hand (see hand entry 1 sense 7a(1))
discarded an ace
b
: to play (any card except a trump) from a suit different from the one led
: to discard a playing card
discard at the end of your turn
discarder
noun
dis·card
ˈdis-ˌkärd 
1
a
: the act of removing a playing card from one's hand : the act of discarding (see discard entry 1 sense 2a)
b
: a card discarded
collected the discards
2
: one that is cast off or rejected
Synonyms
Examples of discard in a Sentence
Verb
Remove and discard the stems.
a pile of discarded tires
She discarded the six of hearts.
Noun
toss all of your discards in the garbage
Recent Examples on the Web
Matt Kamen, WIRED, 7 Sep. 2023
With the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden discarded a cap on how many vehicles each automaker could sell before the credits began to wind down.
—Craig Trudell, Fortune, 1 Sep. 2023
The masses of bright-yellow uranium ore that came up along with the radium were initially discarded as waste rock: There were scant commercial usages for uranium until the war began.
—Roger Peet, The New Republic, 30 Aug. 2023
CalRecycle has repeated the study several times, most recently in 2021, when Californians discarded 231,072 tons of plastic bags.
—Jessica Roy, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023
In his remarks on Thursday, Mr. Putin underscored the contribution Wagner fighters had made to Russia’s war against Ukraine, an attempt to address its members — many of whom feel used and discarded after heavy losses in battle — and their supporters.
—Paul Sonne, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2023
When the corn is just cool enough to handle, remove and discard the husks and silk.
—Christopher Kimball, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Aug. 2023
Contributor Food waste is a massive global problem that needs to be addressed, but the issue is often ignored, as huge amounts of food are discarded for not meeting quality standards or for spoilage during transit.
—Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 19 Aug. 2023
If you are notified that State Farm Stadium your item, that item can be picked up during normal business hours (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) with a valid photo ID.
Unclaimed items will be discarded/donated 30 days after the date the item is turned in.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 18 Aug. 2023
Lauren Joseph, New York Times, 28 July 2023
And don’t forget that some of the best dishes in our earthly canon rely on things like stale bread, day-old rice and other potential discards.
—G. Daniela Galarza, Washington Post, 29 June 2023
Wild honey is a high-energy food that can provide up to 20% of calorie intake, notes the University of Cambridge in a summary of the study, and the wax that hunters share or discard is a valuable food for the honeyguide.
—Melissa Breyer, Treehugger, 29 June 2023
Lift membrane off meat, and discard.
—Tribune News Service, cleveland, 11 Oct. 2021
Trim woody ends of asparagus spears and discard.
—Darlene Zimmerman, Detroit Free Press, 5 June 2020
The process saves about 30,000 tons of food waste and approximately 11.64 pounds of carbon, and replaces 50 percent of fossil derivatives using the apple discards.
—Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Mar. 2023
Then squeeze fresh lime and discard.
—Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, 9 Dec. 2022
Scoop out seeds with a spoon and discard.
—Lauren Joseph, WSJ, 14 Oct. 2022
See More
Verb
On the other is the complex Lady Eboshi, a genuine humanitarian and feminist building a home for those discarded by wider society, but whose hubris precipitates chaos and destruction.
—Matt Kamen, WIRED, 7 Sep. 2023
With the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden discarded a cap on how many vehicles each automaker could sell before the credits began to wind down.
—Craig Trudell, Fortune, 1 Sep. 2023
The masses of bright-yellow uranium ore that came up along with the radium were initially discarded as waste rock: There were scant commercial usages for uranium until the war began.
—Roger Peet, The New Republic, 30 Aug. 2023
CalRecycle has repeated the study several times, most recently in 2021, when Californians discarded 231,072 tons of plastic bags.
—Jessica Roy, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023
In his remarks on Thursday, Mr. Putin underscored the contribution Wagner fighters had made to Russia’s war against Ukraine, an attempt to address its members — many of whom feel used and discarded after heavy losses in battle — and their supporters.
—Paul Sonne, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2023
When the corn is just cool enough to handle, remove and discard the husks and silk.
—Christopher Kimball, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Aug. 2023
Contributor Food waste is a massive global problem that needs to be addressed, but the issue is often ignored, as huge amounts of food are discarded for not meeting quality standards or for spoilage during transit.
—Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 19 Aug. 2023
If you are notified that State Farm Stadium your item, that item can be picked up during normal business hours (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) with a valid photo ID.
Unclaimed items will be discarded/donated 30 days after the date the item is turned in.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 18 Aug. 2023
Noun
Remove the first few leaves from the corn husk and discard.
—Lauren Joseph, New York Times, 28 July 2023
And don’t forget that some of the best dishes in our earthly canon rely on things like stale bread, day-old rice and other potential discards.
—G. Daniela Galarza, Washington Post, 29 June 2023
Wild honey is a high-energy food that can provide up to 20% of calorie intake, notes the University of Cambridge in a summary of the study, and the wax that hunters share or discard is a valuable food for the honeyguide.
—Melissa Breyer, Treehugger, 29 June 2023
Lift membrane off meat, and discard.
—Tribune News Service, cleveland, 11 Oct. 2021
Trim woody ends of asparagus spears and discard.
—Darlene Zimmerman, Detroit Free Press, 5 June 2020
The process saves about 30,000 tons of food waste and approximately 11.64 pounds of carbon, and replaces 50 percent of fossil derivatives using the apple discards.
—Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Mar. 2023
Then squeeze fresh lime and discard.
—Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, 9 Dec. 2022
Scoop out seeds with a spoon and discard.
—Lauren Joseph, WSJ, 14 Oct. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'discard.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Verb
circa 1578, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Noun
1719, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Dictionary Entries Near discard
Cite this Entry
“Discard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discard. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
discard
2 of 2 noun
dis·card
ˈdis-ˌkärd
1
: the act of discarding in a card game
2
: a person or thing cast off or rejected
More from Merriam-Webster on discard
Nglish: Translation of discard for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of discard for Arabic Speakers
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